Rapid analysis of lymphocyte subsets in cord blood.

Several investigators have enumerated cellular populations in neonatal cord blood with variable results. In this study, the authors established reference ranges for lymphocyte subsets in cord blood from healthy newborns using a whole blood lysis technique on the Coulter Immunoprep Epics Leukocyte Preparation System (Coulter Immunology, Hialeah, FL). All analyses were performed on a flow cytometer by gating on forward angle versus 90 degrees light scatter. Lymphocytes demonstrated all surface markers examined, including T4, T8, T3, T11, B1, NKH-1, I3, and 4B4; 2H4 suppressor inducer lymphocytes were prominent in neonatal blood. The authors think this standardized system may be suitable for use in neonatal and pediatric patients because it quickly processes small aliquots of whole blood with minimal sample manipulation.